KOHAT, Jan 17: The lawyers’ community boycotted the courts on Tuesday in protest against the killing of innocent people in a US attack in Bajaur Agency and to condemn the military operation in Balochistan on Tuesday. Earlier, the District Bar Association held a meeting in which they asked the government to step down as it had failed to safeguard the interests of the state and protect the lives of people.

The meeting through a unanimously adopted resolution demanded fresh elections under the supervision of the Supreme Court because only a legitimate parliament could represent the sentiments of the nation which had become fed up with the wrong internal and foreign policies, deteriorating law and order, joblessness and price hike.

He elaborated that the peace initiatives taken with India had bounced back whereas the country had lost its respect in the comity of nations because the rulers had made it into “a US colony”.

The president of the bar, Advocate Nadir Khan Khattak, who chaired the protest meeting, said that the undemocratic government had become so apologetic to prolong its illegal and unconstitutional rule that the president and the prime minister could not lodge a proper protest with US authorities over the incident which was a direct attack on the sovereignty of the state.

He also demanded that the military operation continuing in Balochistan should be immediately stopped and the victims should be compensated.

He said that the real issue in Balochistan was the establishment of unnecessary cantonments and the tribal chiefs were not against the development of the province, adding that it had become common for military rulers to label opponent political parties and their leaders as traitors.

He announced that the lawyers community would observe complete strike on Jan 20 on the call of the Pakistan Bar Council and a protest rally would also be held in Kohat to condemn the US attack and Balochistan operation.